1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to edgers of the type used to cut a border between a lawn and adjacent walks, driveways, etc. and, more particularly, to a guard that prevents debris from being thrown by a moving cutting element on the edger against an operator thereof.
2. Background Art
Lawn edgers are well known in the art. The most common of these edgers uses a metal blade that is rotated about a horizontal axis. The blade is directed along the edge of a walk, drive, or the like, to make a clean and sharp cut of the lawn at the transition between the lawn and the walk or drive.
One known edger construction utilizes an elongate shaft which connects between a head unit, on which the blade is mounted, and a power source. The shaft and/or power unit can be held and manipulated by the user in a substantially upright position. The head unit has a skid or wheel which bears upon the walk or driveway and serves to guide the blade along at a consistent height. The wheel or skid also acts as a fulcrum about which the unit can be pivoted to alter the depth of cutting for the blade.
With this type of unit, the blade is commonly rotated in a direction so that the blade tends to "walk" forwardly away from the operator. The blade moves downwardly into the lawn and projects grass, dirt and other debris that may be present in the lawn, rearwardly. This may pose a hazard to the user that is operating the unit from a rearward location. Those units that have an oppositely rotating blade may propel debris forwardly towards bystanders, who may be injured, or towards objects, that may be damaged. With this type of unit, there is often nothing impeding the movement of the debris coming off of the blade.
While a housing normally provided around the blade shields a portion of the blade and blocks debris that may be propelled by the blade, the rear portion of the head unit must be open to prevent interference between the housing and the lawn, which is typically higher than the level of the walk or drive.
It is known to use a flexible debris guard on lawn mowers to block a rear opening and thereby shield the operator from flying debris. However, this type of guard, if used on an edger, which is normally used to trim between two surfaces at different heights, would deflect upwardly as a unit and be guided along the higher lawn level, thereby leaving a significant gap between the debris guard and the walk or drive. There remains a substantial risk of exposure by the user to debris propelled by the blade or ricocheted, and to other hazards.
Another problem with the above type of blade guard on an edger is that it would block the blade from the line of sight of the operator. The operator is then required to guess at the precise line of the blade during operation. He/she will normally use a trial and error approach in properly locating the blade. As this is done, the blade may drift into the lawn and undesirably damage the lawn or, alternatively, strike the hard surface of the walk or drive and cause damage to the blade and/or the power unit therefor.